In the context of experience and working with the same company. Some companies give an automatic pay jump (100,000 won abouts) for signing another contract. And some also give a 100,000 bump for being a "head teacher".

In the context of experience and working with the same company. Some companies give an automatic pay jump (100,000 won abouts) for signing another contract. And some also give a 100,000 bump for being a "head teacher".

I would assume it would max around 2.5 to 2.6?

Variables (other than length of service and position) might also include:

Student retention rates,
Parental demand for your presence (over any generic white face),
Type of teaching (primary EFL (A,B,Cs/1,2,3) or some specialized component like EAP, ESP, etc.),
Level of qualifications,
And a big one - value to the company - How easy is it to replace you with some cheaper white faced E2 applicant.

Top salaries for "in-demand" EAP,ESP, test prep teachers are probably in the 4-6M won/month (+ benefits) range. (I know a few earning in those brackets).

Generic EFL teachers at your average hagwon will be very lucky to see 2.6. Most of them will top out at 2.4ish. Beyond that it is just easier to replace them with new blood at 2.1.

I think that a 100,000 rise for being head teacher is ridiculously low. The last company that I worked for paid 500,000 extra for being the head instructor. To answer your question, it very much depends on how good you are. You can earn over 3 million at a regular hagwon if you're willing to put the work in. Sure, it's not a salary that will make you rich, but it's hardly terrible either.

33% raise after one year? Of what area do you speak? Using creative writing in the EFL field? That's an interesting niche. I've heard of a couple others (Kimchi Ninja, Zackback, fustiancorduroy, creeper1) doing that, but I don't know much about it.

My best years with epik were at 3.1 basic, plus extra travel schools, plus official speaking engagements, maybe 3.5 all in.

Alas, they've really cut back. I was at 1++ (a level they created for me!) which has since been eliminated. I hear they're doing away with 1+ now? I also scored .2M for being a district coordinator with reduced classroom hours but thats only .1 now with a full class load.

My vacation time was substantially reduced towards the end of my gig too. Its clear where things are headed.

Still & all, I loved my time with the program & got shoved out as too old maybe just at the right time. I was never in it to get rich. I have a new life in the making elsewhere now with some nice savings & a modest Korean pension to collect on.

I think I can still recommend epik as a great gap year (or 2) experience or efl stepping stone but longtermers are understandably getting frustrated with it.

TESOL is what you yourself make of it, not something served up on an easy platter.

I had topped out at 2.7 (not including housing, pension, etc.) in a public school and thought it was time to leave Korea.

For the 2013 school year I had accumulated privates in China along with a public school job outside of a major city and made the same money as I was making in Korea but, alas, I had no time to exercise so I got fat.

It's very uncommon for a typical Korean to give a raise to their employees unless they climb the ladder.

Salaries have been stagnant in Korea since the turn of the 21st century.

I believe that some government entity regulates salaries across the board, including those of ESL teachers. A major reason for the recent property bubble burst. Koreans juggle consumer debt (credit cards) up the yin-yang.

Schwa wrote:

Alas, they've really cut back. I was at 1++ (a level they created for me!) which has since been eliminated.

I was a 1+ at the end of 2012. I never heard that my POE even had a 'head teacher'.[/quote]

I hope "mathew's world" and that other guy that left positions paying 2.7 million a month left EFL and entered investment banking because PS schools paying that kind of money are pretty sweet!

The basic salary is 2.7 * 12. Then add 2.7 for airfare and 2.7 severence and the total salary is 37.8 million Korean won annualy. That salary is 26,000 us dollars.

Then you add in the 3,600 dollars that should cover housing and you get a figure of 29,600 dollars.

That is your salary as a TEFL teacher in PS. Approximately 30,000 us dollars. When you factor in side work. This has the potential to go way up.

And the best thing? You are paid. PAID. to lie on a beach in the Philippines or Thailand while the miserable rest work their butts off for a minimum of 3 weeks in summer and winter. (In reality those schools that do not demand desk warming offer vacations exceeding two months annually)

That's what public schools were like 10 years ago (and easy to get into, too).

Now...damn near impossible to get into one...even as conditions there decline.

Basic pay for GEPIK is 2.0, btw (which now requires qualifications). The maximum amount one can make is 2.5. Pay went down. While Korean teachers go on vacation, the Western teacher has to teach summer camps and winter camps (for no additional compensation).

The most I've ever heard for base salary for an ESL teacher (excluding things like SAT/AP and debate classes) was 4.3 mil a month (regardless of hours worked). This is for a teacher with almost 10 years of experience and an MA (not related to teaching) at a hakwon with close to 30 hours a week (no weekends though), 3.3% tax (no benefits or housing) and two weeks of vacation (one for Chusok and one for New Years).

There are jobs out there, but they are hard to find. Also, I've been out of the game for quite some time. However, my last job was 2.5 million +500k housing +500k head teacher bonus +500k for after school program (2 hours/week.)

My work load was 22 forty minute classes plus the 2 hours/week of after school classes. In at 8, out by 4, 6-7 weeks vacation.

Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 11:31 pm Post subject: Re: What point does salary max out for ESL teachers?

Chaparrastique wrote:

schwa wrote:

I have a new life in the making elsewhere now with ... a modest Korean pension to collect on..

Don't you have to be resident in Korea to collect your pension?

or do you mean just collect the lump sum before leaving.

No, about 400k won a month (& adjusting for inflation) is going to follow me around for life wherever I live. A friendly english-speaking NPS agent keeps in touch with me by email to keep it flowing smoothly.